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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 18,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Reading what happens in the manga before watching it being aired in the anime often makes me judge changes made to the original version. The episode begins with additional drama between Kugaha (yeah, this annoying guy is back even with a severed hand) and Yukine. Kugaha taunts Yukine over how Noras are not actually despised, but feared because they possessed many names. A Regalia needs to know the name of his opponent in order to use a boundary, putting Yukine at a disadvantage. However, he succeeds after Hiyori assures him of Yato’s faith in him.

Yato is still trapped in the underworld, and Ebisu asks Bishamon to help save him, before passing out. Yukine is unable to enter the underworld unless he goes as another god’s Regalia, making him a stray. Bishamon steps up and volunteers to save Yato on behalf of Yukine. Even so, rescuing Yato is not an easy task, and Kofuku faces the trouble of keeping the vent open. At the end of the episode, Ebisu awakes and announces a way to save Yato, with Hiyori’s help.

I feel that reading the manga version of this recently makes me slightly less enthusiastic about watching the anime, but that’s not to say that Noragami Aragoto is getting boring.

This is pretty emotional episode. Hiyori remembers Yato and Yukine after Yukine talks to her when she is on her way back home from school. She finds out that it has been a month since Yato has gone missing.

Wow. Contrary to what I thought at first, Ebisu is not a bad guy. He didn’t create masked phantoms for his own selfish means, but for the sake of humanity. He wanted to be able to control phantoms so they could stop disrupting the human world, and a locution brush can help him. All the previous Ebisus have died trying to get one, and he hopes to achieve his goal. Unfortunately for him, the heavens have already decided on a capital punishment for him once he has been found.

It turns out that Tsuyu isn’t a Regalia. It’s cool how she can communicate with trees, and because of that, she finds out where Ebisu is, and that a young god and a girl in white are following him, who Hiyori identifies as Yato and Nora.

Failing to get out from the sealed exit, Ebisu feels like giving up, since he can reincarnate any time. Yato insists that Ebisu should make his own exit, which he eventually does, with the use of his newly acquired locution brush and the phantoms it can conjure. Unfortunately, in order to protect Ebisu, Yato gets caught by Iwanami, and is dragged back to her lair. At the same time, Hiyori and Yukine arrive at the entrance of the underworld, but are unable to enter it due to the seal.

The plot is heading towards where I stopped in the manga. Noragami Aragoto has 13 episodes, so it would probably end after the Ebisu arc. I can’t believe it’s ending soon after 3 more episodes! 😥

Yato enters the underworld with Nora and finds out that Ebisu is the conjurer. However, Ebisu is unwilling to get out, and insists that he needs to get the locution brush from Iwanami, the so-called queen of the underworld, who is extremely powerful. With that brush, Ebisu would be able to control his masked Phantoms. Apparently, Iwanami takes on the form of a person close to the person looking at her, which is why Yato and Ebisu see different appearances of her. It is quite funny seeing Yato and Ebisu initially bickering over the appearance of Iwanami, between a high school girl or an old woman.

Iwanami says that in exchange for the locution brush, either Yato or Ebisu will have to stay behind to be her friend. Ebisu tells Yato to stay behind, and a fight breaks out.

It turns out that this fight is actually part of Ebisu’s plan to distract Iwanami while one of his phantoms steals a locution brush. Enraged, she slowly reveals her true nature. It is surprising to hear Ebisu call Iwanami “Mother” at the end before he leaves. I’m curious to know why he is so keen on controlling masked phantoms. Is he hungry for more power, despite already being a god of fortune, and why?

Hiyori is already forgetting the existence of Yato and Yukine. She goes on a “triple date” to Capypa Land with her friends. Argh, that ending. I’m so annoyed. I knew that Fujisaki was up to no good since he first appeared in the manga. Anyway, it’s time to catch up with episode 10!

Takamagahara officially recognises Yato’s mini shrine (after he pestered the government office for days) and has granted him rights like access to Takamagahara and his own (extremely tiny) plot of land. Oh well, something is better than nothing right?

Yukine is determined to learn invocation from Kazuma, which Bishamon had allowed. It’s nice to see him trying so hard, even though his first lesson ended in failure.

A random schoolmate helps Hiyori when she trips on a can. Spoiler but this guy is not as kind as he seems! Yeah, Noragami is not meant to be a shoujo anime with flowery moments like these.

Happiness is short-lived in Noragami Aragoto. With the Bishamon arc over, the Ebisu arc poses a much deadlier situation for Yato. Daikoku had previously raised questions of how a minor and unknown god like Yato has been able to survive for centuries. The title of this episode, God of Calamity, reminds us that Yato is a god of calamity, and he is now being forced to return to the darkness of his past. This is not uncommon, for Kofuku mentioned that Yato sometimes disappears for months, without informing his Regalias. Yato is forced to take up jobs that involves killing people, and has been gone for probably a month. When he flared up and protested that he wants to leave, ‘Father’ appears and grants Yato freedom once he completes one last job, which involves going to the underworld and rescuing a conjurer.

Oh gosh that snippet of the next episode… I remember reading that part in the manga! Indeed, absolute freedom is never granted without a price, and Yato’s new job will put him in the most dangerous situation he has ever been. Noragami Aragoto is here to bring more suspense and I can’t wait for episode 9!

Episode 7 shows the growth of Yukine after knowing his role as Yato’s exemplar. The episode begins with the heartwarming scene of the trio’s return.

It was hilarious to see Daikoku and Tenjin’s reactions after knowing that Yukine changed into a Blessed Vessel for Yato haha.

After episodes of horror and tragedy at Bishamon’s, Noragami’s comedy returns. I can’t blame their reactions though. Who wouldn’t want money?

The day that everyone has always been wishing for – for it to rain money. I respect Yukine’s decision to put away his greed for money and to make this decision for his master. It is definitely not an easy decision, but he did it for the sake of his master. It heartens me to see that Yukine has grown to be more sensible in this new season.

Yukine’s impersonation of Yato on point! XD

If you thought you could have gone through this episode without shedding a tear, the ending is here to prove you wrong. Knowing how it has always been important to have a shrine of his own, Hiyori built a mini shrine for Yato, even though she got in the process. I read this in the manga and I cried, and I still cried watching it in the anime. Kofuku explains that having a shrine to a god is very significant because it shows the gratitude and appreciation the people have in them.

Right at the end of the episode, we see that Ebisu is actually involved with the masked Phantoms. I’m so excited to watch the next few episodes!

Kugaha insists that Bishamon is straying from how she is supposed to be.

I was appalled when Yato cut off Kugaha’s hand. I’m still scared of cut off body parts even when I first saw some in Kuroshitsuji. *shivers* I really blanked out after I saw Kugaha’s hand drop to the floor with the blood oozing from it.

Bishamon releases Kugaha. Knowing her, it would have been impossible to personally kill any Regalia, even if he betrayed her. Bishamon the magnanimous. You’re too kind, really! At least Kugaha won’t be back again.

Noragami Aragoto is making me cry too much T.T

I was really touched when Bishamon called the name of her oldest surviving Regalia. She had so many Regalias, most do not get called for decades. At last, she personally killed the Phantom that had eaten up her Regalias, even though she previously blamed Yato for doing the same thing. She had decided to face her own fears, knowing that this was the only way out, unless she wanted the Ha Clan to suffer from the same fate as the Ma Clan.

The ending of this episode was heartwarming, with the remaining Regalias living in harmony. I like the exchange diary idea – that’s so sweet of Bishamon haha. That way, she would be able to get to know her Regalias better, helping to resolve problems. There was no need to hide any feelings of sadness which could lead to hurt to both Regalias and Bishamon.